70 



BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



which affection appears the more necessary as the male seems to desert 

 his mate and leave her in the sole charge of her little family." 



The Yirginia Bail breeds in Chester and Delaware counties. Prof. 

 August Kock writes as follows of the species in Ly coming county : 

 " Breeds sparingly, and I think in single pairs, at least I have never 

 found more than one family in a locality." In the counties of Clinton, 

 Clearfield and Northumberland, Dr. Yan Fleet says this rail breeds quite 

 regularly. In other counties the Little Bed Kail is reported to me by 

 the following gentlemen, either as an occasional, or regular, but not 

 common summar visitant : Lancaster, Dr. A. 0. Treichler ; Philadelphia, 

 Rev. Jos. Johnson; Cumberland, T. L. Neff; Luzerne, Dr. W. L. Hart- 

 man; Lehigh, J. F. Kocher; Berks, D. F. Keller; Susquehamia, Dr. H. 

 A. Tingley. The food materials of eleven birds, of this species, are 

 given in the following table : 



GENUS PORZANA VIEILLOT. 

 Porzana Carolina (LINN.). 



Sora; Carolina Rail; Rail-bird; Common Rail; "Ortolan." 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 7). 



Length, about 9 inches ; extent, about 13 ; bill about three-fourths of an inch long. 

 This species shows great variations in plumage, in perfect dress the sexes are alike. 

 Young or immature birds lack the black efface, chin and throat ; the throat and the 

 breast, often streaked or patched with bluish-ash, is brownish. 



Adult, in Spring. Upper parts olive-brown and black, and many feathers spotted 

 or streaked on edges with white, flanks and axillars, barred with black and white ; 

 feathers about bill, chin and throat black ; line over eye, sides of head, portion of 

 neck and breast, plain lead color ; belly, grayish-white ; under tail coverts, rusty 

 white ; bill (dried skin) greenish yellow, dark toward end ; legs dark greenish ; 

 iris brown. 



Habitat. Temperate North America, but most common in the eastern province, 

 breeding chiefly northward. South in winter to the West Indies and northern South 

 America. 



The Carolina Rail and Virginia Rail resemble each other in size and 

 form, but otherwise are greatly different. First, they differ in plumage, 

 secondly, the bill of the Carolina Rail is about three-fourths of an inch 

 long, while in the Virginia Rail this organ is often over one and one- 

 half inches in length ; again, the legs of the Carolina Rail are greenish- 



